The Other Side of the Sky

The Other Side of the Sky

Ronald Weasley scowled at the closed door, now that he was sure that the man couldn't see him. The bloody, slimy git...he wished the worst fate possible on him, hoped Dumbledore or Harry or someone would get him good one of these days. It was so obvious he was a fake. He couldn't believe no one but the students saw that. "But Dumbledore trusts him", Hermione's voice rang in his head and he stomped away. Yeah, sure, whatever. It's not like Dumbledore hasn't been wrong before. Then he winced, running a hand through his red hair. Actually, he couldn't remember a time when the Headmaster had been very wrong.... Still, that was beside the point. Snape- well, just look at him. Why would anybody want to trust a person like that?

Disgusted, he turned around and made a face at the dungeon door, tauntingly. Then the door opened and with a startled yelp, Ron took off down the corridor. He stopped when he reached a hallway to the Great Hall, bending over slightly. Hopefully no one saw that...especially Snape. The last thing he wanted was for the worthless professor to give him another detention.

"Redo your failed potion, Mr. Weasley, though I hardly expect for you to make it work. Nonetheless, humor me and try, won't you? I promise not to expect too much. Oh, and after you are through, clean up your classmates' stations- the cauldrons, empty bottles, and the like. We wouldn't want to make them suffer any more than they already do with you in their class. No, we'll leave that to your friends, Potter and Granger. Charming duo, aren't they? Pity you can't see them in action...."

For one thing, his potion was fine if that godforsaken partner of his hadn't knocked it over at the last minute. And secondly, making another batch and cleaning the entire dungeon made him miss Quidditch practice, which he really needed right now. Thirdly, Harry and Hermione were not a duo; though he wouldn't really know considering he wasn't in their class anymore since those blasted O.W.L.S. came in and ruined everything....

Then again, he noticed unhappily, slowing down in his walk, they did have a lot more classes together than either did with him. But that didn't mean anything. Harry and Hermione were still his friends, and it wasn't as if he never saw them. He met with them plenty enough during the day. They weren't a duo; they were still a trio. Weren't they?

"Three's a crowd, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Weasley?"

He gritted his teeth. Damn Snape to hell. It was all his fault anyway. Of course they were still a threesome. No one could be as good as a friend as he was to them. He still deserved a place between—er, beside them. Yes, beside. They still needed him.

Ron sighed, dragging his schoolbag on the ground as he trudged towards the Great Hall. It was getting late and he hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Maybe Hermione would be in the Hall; she mentioned something about working late with Flitwick after normal classes were through. He knew Harry wouldn't be there. He would still be at Quidditch.

He crossed the hallway to the top of the marble steps on the landing right above the Great Hall, and he was just about to hop down the stairs when something caught his eye. He stopped, staring at the two schoolbags he saw lying on the top step just a few feet from him. One of the bags had a worn out copy of a book he vaguely recognized. Funny, he thought as he glanced at one, those look like Ginny's books....

His eyes traveled curiously down the stairs where parchments, quills, books, and another bag had been strewn across the steps in a random fashion. Then his mouth dropped open when his gaze reached the bottom of the first flight of steps, where his sister and Neville Longbottom were crouched over an unconscious student. He quickly ran down the steps, hurrying towards them.

"Ginny, are you all right?" he asked first, touching his hand to his younger sister's shoulder protectively.

She glanced up at him in surprise, eyes wide. "Oh, Ron—where'd you—"

"Did you get in a fight?"

"No, no," she shook her head hard, worried, and nodded down to the young girl who lay on the ground between her and Neville. "Luna wasn't looking well when we ran into her a few minutes ago. We were going to go to the Infirmary, but then she slipped down the stairs."

Ron knelt down beside them. "Did she break anything?"

"Her ankle looks swollen," Neville muttered in response, "but I'm not sure...."

"And she won't wake up," Ginny interrupted in rather frantic voice, trying to pull Luna up. "We need to take her to Madame Pomfrey right now—"

Neville helped her lift her up but the both of them struggled, not quite used to this sort of situation. Ron intervened quickly, dropping his bag to the floor. He bent over and pulled her up into her arms easily, straightening as he stood. Then he turned and headed up the stairs, calling over his shoulder, "All right, we need to hurry."

Ginny and Neville glanced at each other, surprised, before the youngest Weasley quickly got to her feet. "We're coming, Ron," she answered, hurrying after him with Neville right on her heels.

Ron noticed Luna Lovegood really wasn't all that heavy, though it didn't really surprise him to learn this. She looked like the sort of person who would be lightweight and fragile, with her long dirty-blonde hair and pale, smooth skin. But he never would have expected her to faint over something. She really must be ill. More so than usual, at least...

He shifted her a little so he could carry her with more comfort and then quickened his pace, reaching a flight of stairs just as they began to move. He groaned but stayed put, rather irritated. Waiting impatiently for the stairs to finish their lazy journey, he spotted Ginny and Neville running towards him at the bottom floor.

"Ron! Hurry and take her to the Infirmary!" Ginny called up to him. "We'll meet you there!"

"All right!"

They turned and ran the other way, taking the long way to the Infirmary. He had planned to use the shortcut, but now he had to wait for the stairs to stop moving, which seemed to take forever. He was beginning to think he'd never make it to the hospital wing before his sister did, but was stopped in his pouting when he felt Luna stir in his arms. He stared down at her, startled. Within a minute, Luna had opened her large eyes, blinking up at him as though she wasn't quite sure he really was there. There was a silent pause as both waited, and then she spoke:

"Oh, hullo, Ronald. What are you doing?" she asked in a perfectly normal tone- well, normal enough for her.

"Er—I was...I was going to take you to the Infirmary...." he stammered finally, feeling foolish. He usually did when she looked at him like that. It was embarrassing, especially being called by his full name. It sounded so formal. Why was she so strange? Didn't she understand how awkward it would be for him- er, people like him to talk to her if he- that is, other people couldn't understand her?

She blinked again. "Well, that's awfully kind of you."

"Um, yeah."

"Is that why you're carrying me?"

He flushed. "Well, you were...you fainted, and so you couldn't walk."

"Probably not."

"Yeah...."

"That was my first time fainting. Have you ever?"

"I can't remember."

"Neither can I. Though I'd like to remember what happens. I'll let you know if I do."

"Thanks."

She shut her eyes and the staircases stopped moving. Her voice dropped to a strained whisper. "Does your head hurt?"

"Why, does yours?"

"Yes... I think I might have...a headache...." she murmured finally. "And my ankle hurts...."

Worried she might fall unconscious again, he quickly went on to find the Infirmary, walking as fast as he could with bothering her. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

"I'm not worried...."

That makes one of us.

"Good. Listen, you'll be fine."

"Ronald...?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you...bring me my things...?"

"Your what?"

"My things...my bag and books...I think I might have left them on...on the stairs when I fell...I don't want to lose them."

"Oh. Oh, sure, yeah, I will."

"I knew I could...ask you...because you're a...a very trustworthy person, Ronald...."

"Yeah, that's me," he muttered distractedly, pausing as he glanced down the hallway before remembered where he was. "Here, we're here, see? I told you we'd get here."

"I believed you."

That makes one of us, the phrase popped back in his head and he blinked, surprised. Shaking the thoughts away, he entered the Infirmary and was immediately met with Madame Pomfrey. The woman looked annoyed at first, but then she spotted Luna lying drowsily in his arms and almost let a little shriek. "Oh, my- Quickly, bring her here," she waved them over to a bed next to another closed off one, mumbling to herself. "What on earth are you children up to these days?" she snapped at him as he gently laid her down. She was on the verge of falling asleep and barely even noticed she'd been transferred to a bed, and Ron stepped back, feeling rather useless again.

Madame Pomfrey, who had returned with a potion, glanced at him disapprovingly, as though he were the one who caused Luna to become like this. "All right, what are you waiting for? Go on, this doesn't concern you," she shooed him away even though he opened his mouth to protest. Flinging the curtains around the bed closed, she left him standing in the wing looking very irritated.

"Ron?"

He blinked, irritation fading slightly, and turned around to the bed beside Luna's, the one whose curtain's had been closed when he entered. They were open now, and a perplexed Harry Potter was peeking out at him, sitting up in bed, dressed in his Quidditch uniform and with a bandage around his left hand and wrist. Ron's eyes widened as he went to his best friend.

"What happened to you?"

Harry winced, grinning anyway as he lifted his injured arm. "Quidditch practice. I wasn't paying enough attention and a Quaffle hit me. Madame Pomfrey's making me a potion to numb it, so that's what I'm waiting for."

Ron frowned. "Oh."

"The Chasers were fumbling the ball because of the cold. Even if you had been there, it would have hit me anyway."

"Thanks. Your confidence in my skill is truly inspiring."

"I didn't mean it like that-,"

"I know, I'm just teasing." Ron grinned.

Then Harry glanced at the bed next to him. "What's wrong with Luna?"

Ron explained, "I don't really know. I think she fell down the stairs of the Great Hall. She broke her ankle so I had to carry her." Then he remembered what she asked and straightened. "Oh, damn—I almost forgot—listen, I'll see you later. I've got to—but I'll be back—" he cut himself off abruptly, a blush coming on to his cheeks. He didn't want Harry to find out he what he had promised Luna, it seemed so stupid and embarrassing...Searching through Hogwarts for a bunch of books and parchments (probably copies of the Quibbler, too). He'd be lucky if no one saw him. With a short wave good-bye, he fled out the door, not looking back.

He slowed down again when he passed by the Great Hall, looking for his bag. It was still there next to Ginny's and Neville's. At the top of the steps was Luna's but it had turned up empty. He groaned. Dammit...Someone must have gone through them. Now how was he going to find anything? He quickly looked through his own bag, but the only thing missing had been an ink jar. Well, that goes to show you what happens when you leave things around for other people to steal, he reminded himself, picking up all of the schoolbags and returning to the Gryffindor common room to drop them off.

The first thing he saw when he entered was Hermione Granger sitting in a corner, staring at an open book in front of her. He raised an eyebrow, approaching her carefully and getting the sensation he was treading through dangerous waters.

"Studying?" he asked as he dumped the bags on the table. It was a pointless question. What else would the smartest student in the school do—especially her?

She looked up blankly and upon recognizing him she straightened up and flushed a little, dropping her hands in her lap. "Oh, well, I was...but I can't seem to focus."

"Is that what you were talking to Flitwick about?" he gestured to the rather thick book.

"Yes. He let me borrow it to read. It's really fascinating, Ron, you should look at it."

"Maybe later."

"How was detention?"

"Don't even talk to me about it." He waved it aside, pointing to two bags. "Listen, if Ginny or Neville get here before I do, make sure they get these back. And tell them to check their stuff. You know what happens when you leave things around for everybody to see."

Hermione frowned. "Why haven't they?"

"Luna fainted on the steps, and we kinda forgot about them."

Her eyes grew wide. "Fainted? Oh my goodness, is she all right?"

"Broken ankle, I think, but I'm not sure what else. She's in the Infirmary, so I have to go look for her stuff now. I think someone may have taken some things."

"Now? But isn't it late?"

"Well, the sooner I get it over with the better. I'd rather not do this in the morning," Not when there will be more witnesses to see....

"You didn't even have dinner-,"

"I've got some stuff saved in my room." He picked up Luna's bag and turned away, heading outside. "I'll see you later, 'Mione—"

She was standing, looking at him anxiously. "Wait a minute, you can't go alone. I'll go with you."

"I can handle it fine."

"I know you can, but I still think that I should come. We can find all of it faster this way. And besides, we might run into Harry. He should be done with practice by now, I don't know what's taking him so long."

So that's why you couldn't focus.

"I said I can handle it, Hermione."

"But—"

"And if you really want to see him, Harry's in the Infirmary, too, something to do with being hit by a Quaffle." Wouldn't have happened if I had been there.

"What?" she sounded shocked.

"It isn't that surprising. He spends half his time at Hogwarts in the Infirmary anyway," he snapped, stalking to the door.

"Wait, Ron—"

But he had already closed the porthole and was halfway down the corridor when he paused, suddenly confused. Why'd he get angry with Hermione? It wasn't as though she'd done anything. All she did was ask for Harry.

Three's a crowd, Weasley.

He shook his head, frustrated. He didn't have time for this. He had to look for Luna's things.

Now...where to start....